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Great mounds of snow had gathered on the window ledge while flurries swirled past, obscuring the jagged mountains beyond the window.

It was a rare day of bad weather on what had otherwise been a glorious blue-sky ski trip, and it was sorely tempting to order another cappuccino and watch the spectacle from the fireside.

But in a moment of enthusiasm, my husband Tom and I decided, instead, to layer on every item in our cases – down-lined jackets over fleeces over thermal tops – and head out onto the slopes.

This kind of crazy behaviour happens often in Val Thorens, judging by the number of other keen snow bunnies out that morning – determined, like us, not to let the little matter of a snowstorm spoil their fun.

At such a lofty altitude, snow-sure Val has one of the longest seasons – it opened last week and closes in early May. For this reason, among others, it was voted Best Ski Resort in the World for the third time in four years last season.

High altitude skiing comes with other benefits, too; the dramatic mountain scenery, for one, and the high proportion of heavenly ski-in ski-out accommodation, saving lots of unnecessary schlepping to and from the lifts with equipment.

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Val Thoren's top-most lift reaches 3,230m

We travelled with winter sports experts Crystal Ski Holidays and checked into the four-star Fahrenheit Seven – one of the resort’s newest openings – which has a fantastic position, right on the edge of the slopes.

There’s a panoramic après ski drinks terrace and it has a ski shop downstairs opening directly onto the piste.

Next-door, you’ll find a boot room like no other, with its own table football and a coffee bar.

Establishing itself as the trendiest spot in town, F7 is a cool design-led property with lots of dark wood, and colourful 70s-style velvet and sheepskin furnishings.

Each of the 107 rooms – with either village or piste views – has retro-style teak furniture and fun touches such as vintage mustard-yellow coloured bakelite phones.

There’s a small wellness area (with treatments available on request), while downstairs are two fantastic restaurants – La Rotisserie, with mountain views, where we ate breakfast every morning, and cheese and wine restaurant Le Zinc where we sampled delicious fondue, a French Alps specialty.

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At such a lofty altitude, snow-sure Val has one of the longest seasons

There’s great food to enjoy further up the mountain, too, and one of our best lunches was at the cosy, wood-beamed gourmet restaurant Chalet de la Marine.

The monkfish with a creamy leek risotto was to die for. Working up an appetite is easy in Val Thorens, with such extensive terrain to explore. The resort caters for complete beginners and experts alike, though to really get the most from its wider connections to the enormous Three Valleys area you’ll want to be a good intermediate skier or boarder.

We spent a day with an experienced instructor from renowned ski school ESF, who took us to the highest slope at the top of the Bouchet chairlift in Orelle, where we sailed down the Coraia red run taking in magnificent views over the Alps.

Snowsports are, of course, the main attraction here but skiing and boarding aren’t the only ways to spend your days.

We also tested our nerves at the Ice Driving Academy, slipping and sliding round a 30m long, 5m wide ice run in a Renault rally car. And if that sounds like too much of a white-knuckle ride, Driv’Inn bar in the village has a new Formula 1 experience courtesy of state-of-the-art Ellip6 driving simulators (€20 for 10 minutes).

If the weather really sets in, a pampering spa experience is a lovely treat, too.

The five-star Hotel Pashmina Le Refuge has an extensive wellness area and a menu of L’Occitane treatments, while five-star Hotel Altapura has a stunning Nordic-inspired spa.

I experienced their dreamy Pure Altitude Ritual, a body treatment made from the mountain edelweiss.

Then I headed to the outdoor hot tub. It was a great way to unwind after experiencing the many delights of this world-class resort.